12.20.2006

Bode wins the Super G at Hinterstoder, taking the World Cup lead and inching closer to the proverbial record books. The victory moves him to 24 career wins on the circuit ... not that anybody's counting of course.

Chasing 27Phil Mahre career World Cup wins: 27Maier/Stenmark single season World Cup wins: 13Bode's current career World Cup wins: 24Bode's World Cup wins this year: 3

12.18.2006

With a RIPPING run in the Super G last Friday, Bode continued stalking Phil Mahre's career world cup record of 27 wins. The win was his second of the season, and puts him closer to knocking off Washington's home hill hero as well as the uberskier himself, Hermann Maier.

"One of (my) goals ... is to try to win the most World Cups in a season that has ever been done," said Miller, back in October, around the same time that he hinted he might retire after this season.

In plain english, Bode Miller has painted a target on the single-season record of 13 World Cup victories, a mark shared by Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden and Austria's Hermann Maier. Is it because of his new skis? Or because his coach won't let him sleep in the RV anymore? Or simply because when he's on, there's nobody better.

Here's the rundown:

Phil Mahre career World Cup wins: 27Bode's current career World Cup wins: 23

Maier/Stenmark single season World Cup wins: 13Bode's World Cup wins this year: 2

12.14.2006

For organic lovers ... last week's Economist will definitely live in infamy. Check this blurb out from "Good Food?"

"There are good reasons to doubt the claims made about three of the most popular varieties of “ethical” food: organic food, Fairtrade food and local food (see article). People who want to make the world a better place cannot do so by shifting their shopping habits: transforming the planet requires duller disciplines, like politics."

The jist of the article is that farming, by nature, is a brutally inefficient use of land. And that organic farming, while being lighter on the DDT, is way worse in terms of the amount of land required to get the job done.

Not to say that organic is bad or unworthy in any way ... but, rather, that the job ahead of us is far more involved than merely whipping out the credit card and shopping our way to a greener planet.

12.13.2006

On Tuesday, Dec. 13, I read on Gawker.com that one of the outdoor industry's leading brands had a pair of ads censored by Entertainment Weekly. The ads were creative, agressive and attention getting, and prompted numerous reactionary postings by Gawker's regular readers. One of those postings was a mocked up version of one of the censored ads that exaggerated the original concept to a ridiculous level.

At the time, I was struck and impressed by the fact that this member of the occasionally low-tech outdoor community had the wherewithal and the courage to go "viral" with their marketing. Eager to help the momentum of this viral marketing campaign, I posted the original censored ads as well as the reader-posted mock ad.

Unfortunately, the mock ad got picked up by RSS feeds ... distributing it to reader programs without context ... and i found myself in the unwanted position of potentially hurting a brand i was sincerely hoping to help.

Even though I had nothing to do with the creation of the mock ad, I still regret my decision to post it.

Making people squirm has never been the point of Wicked Outdoorsy. Rather, it has been an effort to learn the ropes of Web 2.0 by being a part of it, and along the way trying to provoke some thought and an occasional smile.

RSN is going to do another round of filming at the 2007 SIA show. This is the one that's filmed at the show, edited that night, then broadcast to all the rooms in Mandalay Bay, the Luxor, and whatever that cheap hotel is where Hixson always stays.

According to Maggie "Double Down" Piveronas: "It's shot at SIA, airs in a daily format there & then becomes a one-hour gear preview show that airs across RSN for about 6 months. Additionally 16,000 dvds are sent to all SIA members as part of the program. It's so inexpensive and reaches millions across the retailer, industry & consumer audiences. It really is a sweet deal."

12.12.2006

From the "you can't buy this kind of publicity" file, our friends at Cloudveil allegedly attempted to place a couple ads in EW that would run during Sundance. The ads -- the latest excellent work from the Jackson Hole brand -- poke a little fun at breast implants and scientoloogy.

Apparently, EW was not amused. However, the boys at Gawker.com liked the piece enough to make it their lead of the day.

How great is this? Not only do you get some props for a sweet ad ... but you don't have to pay the $100k for a full page ad!

Run out of Vermont in a German luxury sedan (like that's even comfortable) that won't even use gas (like that's going to work), Veggie Boy is being forced to ski in the backcountry every day in a new place (like that's any fun) with new friend (people can be so tiring sometimes) for the next five weeks (an extended ski tour of the West with no Tivo?).

No word on whether his taskmasters will also force him to clip tickets in the Jackson Hole parking lot, sneak into the Sun Valley Lodge hot tub, or work the acute angles of happy hour snack freeganism.

12.06.2006

I love these pants. If I was stranded on a desert island (ok ... a really cold desert island that hasn't heard about global warming), i would wear these pants every day.

Horny Toad calls them the Hangover. They're made out of something called "fleece" that's apparently really really warm and really really cozy. I think it's very new and may have been used in livestock experiments conducted in outer space . I'm not entirely sure.

The Hangover is cut like a pair of loose jeans, so you can wear them on a date or to a volunteer EMT meeting for about a half hour before somebody notices that you're not wearing pleated front khakis from Banana Dorkpublic.

And what does it cost to make your man happy this Xmas? A low, low $74. That's way cheaper than a ego-crushing sweater, and leaves some extra coin left over for your own personal needs.

12.05.2006

According to this week's Economist, the combination of minimal supply, high potential for fraud, and fickle consumer attitudes is casting a grey light over this shining beacon of eco-apparel.

<< Cotton-industry officials say it is virtually impossible to tell organic cotton from the ordinary kind. The premium on organic cotton and an overstretched inspection system mean that “the market is absolutely ripe for fraud in organic,” says Mark Messura of Cotton Incorporated, an American trade group.

He is not alone in voicing scepticism about the long-term appeal of organic cotton. He suggests that the current surge of interest is driven more by retailers than consumers, whose fickle tastes might suddenly change. “This is the season's new black,” says Mr Messura. “Next year we'll be off to something else.” >>